Broken Normalicy
by Erin Nire 376
Summary: Not just fairy tail, but fiore and beyond is under wraps by the ruling over lord council Gnath, forcing every single thing to be fair and even. But with no magic and now no hope after macrov is gone, natsu tries and finds hope elsewhere. Nalu


Broken Normalcy

The world has been over run by selfish creatures. Humans at fact, but utterly self centered with only their views at heart. They have granted the people's wish to make humanity perfectly fair and even, but doing so, it has left the world more over broken than fair.

"Oh shut up ice princess!" Natsu yelled, sulking as he rested his elbows on the table, having yet another argument with his black haired friend. Gray laughed, leaning back in his chair. "What? Upset I have more handicaps than you? It means I'm more of a threat."

"No it just means you have a girly face." After the new rules have been placed about a week ago, just One step outside and gray had been arrested, coming back from confinement with a mask and a fine, ridiculed for being too handsome. First it was magic and intelligence, and now it's for being too pretty. Natsu scowled at this messed up world.

Ever since the magic council has been taken over by the Sychopath Gnath group, four years ago, nothing has been the same. He and gray each had forty seven handicaps upon their bodies, well now gray had forty eight, weather it be weights, silencers, restraints, or seals. And each person had a tracker, bounded like a collar around their necks, to make sure they followed their schedule and stayed in their perimeter, like some object of Gnath.

Happy sat silently next to Natsu, with four handicaps total, a seal, silencer, blender and a weight. There was a seal for his magic, making him unable to fly. A silencer is what shocked him from talking, so he was like every other cat. The blender used magic to turn his fur brown, and the weight kept the little guy on all fours. Natsu was in fury, his fists clenched in anger every time he looked at happy. He would over throw that stupid Gnath... But... After what happened to gramps three years ago... Natsu looked down at happy with a sullen expression, the cat staring at nothing in particular, wearing a blank expression.

How could gramps have been killed?! He asked the same question every day, knowing that the very thing weighed on everyone's hearts in the guild. "John," he looked up to Ezra, who stood beside where he sat, her arms folded across her chest. Like every girl, she wore a dull gray dress that was baggy, her weights attached to her arms and legs to hide her strength, her dress baggier than others though, to hide her large chest.

And now her hair was a mousy brown, disguising the vibrant Scarlett, like how his hair had been changed brown by his blender as well. If your hair was anything but brown or black, you had to wear one. "You should get started on your squedule." She told him, her pretty face blocked by a smiling mask like grays, a white cloth that you could see through but others couldn't see you. "Allright, Jane."

He arose from his seat, struggling against the forty weights on his body, keeping his strength to the average. A weight was just a band around the restricted place, using magic to make it feel like lead. With a huff, natsu picked up happy and carried him to the job board. Ripping a random page off the board, leaving the corners of the paper stuck to the bulletin where it was pinned. It didn't matter which job sheet it was, they all had the same price and amount of labor, each taking the same amount of hours. As he went to check it in with Mira, the man glanced at the list of laws that was permitted to stay by the bulletin, scowling at it.

Men

All men must refer to the name "John" nothing else

Assigned schedules a must be followed

All must be able to lift an average of ten pounds only

All must have brown or black hair, ears shown, never touching the shoulders.

All must wear regulated clothing

Based on IQ, those above average must wear a buzzer.

Every male wizard must wear a seal, the amount based on magical power

All men must wear a tracker

All men must be able to run two miles per hour only

All men...

Natsu didn't even want to be reminded, his eyes glazing over the women's category.

Women

All women must refer to the name "Jane" nothing more

assigned schedules must be followed

All must be able to lift a max of five pounds only

All must have brown or black hair, no longer than the shoulder blades and no shorter than above the shoulders

All must wear regulated clothing

Chest size must be no smaller or bigger than a b cup, regulated clothing will be modified according to size...

He skipped the rest, looking at the bottom.

To all

If any person posses a particular talent that exceeds average, handicaps will be assigned by law to counter act that talent

Breaking of laws or handicaps assignments will result in the following punishment. From your government Gnath.

Fair and square.

"John?" Natsu jumped to the familiar voice, turning to Mirajane, who tilted her head behind her hideous mask in a questioning posture. Her hair was brown, cut shorter than usual to regulate the laws assigned, her clothes baggy like Erza's "Have you picked your job?" She asked, holding out her hand for the flyer, her entire arms covered in seals, containing her tremendous power. "Uh, yah, here." He gave her the flyer an she checked it off, handing it back, unable to be seen but he knew she was smiling kindly.

"Thanks." He gave a wave to Mira and turned to go, running into levy. "Oh, sorry le- Jane." He quickly corrected, the girl looking up at him, her eyes blank. "...okay..." Her voice was dull, her once colorful clothes now gray and ugly, normal sized since she fit the law. But her intelligence was far from it, having to keep on a distorting buzzer or "stupidafyers" as Natsu called them, which ring in your ears and make you literally stupid, the once bright and smart levy now fallen into that disparity.

Natsu watched the girl in grief as she shuffled by aimlessly past him. It was that very thing that had thrown Gajeel in jail. He went against Gnath when levy was bugged, and that was his punishment. Before he could reminded of more grief, Natsu hurried out of the guild, it's large structure torn of the orange guild mark, leaving the wall empty, lifeless, like everything else in this damned world. Rain clouds collected in the sky, thundering over head as rain began to pour on Natsu and happy, Natsu trying to protect the poor cat from the rain as it came down in cold currents.

He followed his schedule with a scowl, walking down the same street like everyday, walking past the same lifeless people, some wearing masks, some not. Beauty used to be a gift, strength, talent, intelligence, hell, a magic user was praised for their hard work! But now it's treated like a crime! If gramps were here he'd never let this happen to them! But that's what got him killed in the first place, and now the Macao is the guild master again, he won't let them do a thing, afraid another guild member could be killed.

Natsu just wished he could go himself, he knew he could take them down! A crash beside him made the man jump, happy looking up with surprise too, both attention turning towards the ally. It looked like someone had slipped on a puddle, the girl sitting on the ground in the shallow water, a crate of fruit knocked onto the pavement.

She had brown hair that met her shoulder blades, the same brown as his. Her dress looked like a pillow case to hide a figure she must've had, wearing a mask that smiled. with out a word, the girl got to her feet and helped the store clerk pick up the fruit she had knocked over. As she bent down, Something at her hip caught natsu's attention, a glimmer of gold visible from her pocket. What was that? She finished cleaning up, going on her way as if nothing happened, her walk slow, reminding him of someone.

Levy. This girl had a stupifyer too. Curiously and totally ignoring his squedule, he followed the girl, keeping a good lock on her rose brushed scent since the blender made her look like everyone else. As he continued on, he watched the girl walk into an apartment complex, her scent coming heavily from one of the higher floor windows. What was that spot of gold in her pocket? No person is allowed to do or have something that over exceeds another.

Like his nose, it was too strong, so every time during inspection he'd have to chew cough drops to disorient the smells. His hearing had been almost caught last check, when he reacted to hearing snow fall on the ground with the track they played, others hearing nothing.

gratefully He was able to weasel himself out of it. Don't get him wrong, he and gray always competed for the most handicaps, but he didn't want to loose his scent and hearing, he lived off those. As Natsu stepped under a tree to shade himself from the rain, Happy sat up in Natsu's arms, opening his mouth to speak. "Don't!" Natsu warned, clamping his hand over the little guys face. "Lissana said if you keep on getting shocked by that thing it could eventually stop your heart."

The cat pouted, pointing to the window as if to say, "than go allready!" The man gave a sigh, looking at the apartment windows bright with light, but with soldiers at the front doors, checking off people to make sure they belonged as they walked in, using the collar on their necks that contained trackers, and the timer for your squedule. With a deep breath natsu darted to the building, pushing against his handicaps that grew heavier as his speed accelerated.

It took almost everything he had to jump to the third floor, hanging by the window seal with his body dangling, happy climbing up from his shoulder and onto the window seal, grabbing natsu's hand to try and help. Clenching his teeth, natsu was able to pull himself up, even though the weights pressed painfully onto him, almost making him slip in the rain a couple times. Once finally at the window, out of breath and breathing heavily, he slid it open quietly, stepping into the apartment with quiet steps.

It was a girly place, though the shape was like every other, with a fluffy pink comforter laying on the bed, one that had been covered by a raggid gray quilt to disguise it. The room was bright, cheery, with pale yellow walls and a fluffy carpet. It felt, homey, almost. Like his it used to be before Gnath. He heard something wiz behind him and turned, about to dodge the projectile but his weights suddenly increased, keeping him still as the heavy thing whacked him in the head.

His ears rang and the man saw stars as he collapsed, his head pounding with hot pain. Standing over him was the girl, still masked with that smiling thing like it was mocking him. In her hands was a metal frying pan. "Did you just hit me in the head with that?!" He yelled, groaning on the floor as the girl huffed in fright. "Of course you robber! Get out!"

"I'm not a theif! I wanted to ask you something!" He slowly stood, makin her back away, holding the pan out infront of her like it was a sword. He found her behavior odd, raising a brow. "Wait, aren't you on a stupidafyer?"

"A what? Are you calling me stupid!?"

"Calm down! I meant a buzzer!"

"No! What? were you thinking you could have my way with me because I was on one?" The pan shook in her hands as he looked at her with a bland expression. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"J-just never mind! What do you want?" Natsu sighed, picking up happy from the bed where he sat, watching the whole ordeal. Natsu usually carried him so the weight on him wouldn't be such a burden. "I saw gold on you today, I was wondering how you could wear it when it's the law to keep your self bland." The girl lowered the pan, her hunched posture unsure. "You... Your not going to turn me in... Are you?" She asked, making Natsu tilt his head.

"Why would I do that? I have nothing against you." After a pause, she finally set the pan down, digging into her pocket and pulling out a ring of golden and silver keys. "They're gate keys, I'm a wizard and I moved here to look for a guild." She told him, putting the keys back in her pocket. "Your a celestial wizard?" He asked and instead of being happy about it, she looked down. "I...I used to be..."

"I'm a wizard too!" Natsu burst, surprising the girl as he stepped closer, his face beaming. He had a joyful smile, the kind that lit up the room instantly. She could tell he had not yet lost hope. "I'm a dragon slayer! I was taught by my father igneel. Oh! And I'm apart of fairy tail, if you want, you can join the guild!"

"Fairy tail? Your apart of it?"

"Yah! Well... It's not an official guild anymore, but we still treat it the same. We're all still a family." Lucy felt on the edge of tears, her eyes brimming with moisture at his words. Natsu jumped as the girl began to cry behind her mask, sinking to her knees on the floor in a wilted heel. "H-hey, are you okay..?" He kneeled in front of her, unsure of what to do.

"How..? How can you have such a smile with everything going on! It's a mess! Everything's a mess..." Natsu waited as she continued to cry, looking awkward as she tried to wipe her tears under the mask. "It'll help if you.." He began to take off the coverage, the girl jumping in shock. "No! Wait-!" But it was too late, the mask was already removed by Natsu, who staired at the girls beautiful face, her cheeks blushed, eyes watery, but with a grey film over them from the blender, hiding their true color. Natsu wasn't sure if it was because he hasn't seen a single pretty face in four years, but as he stared, he knew he would never get tired of looking at her angelic face. "Why are you staring?" She asked, her brow furrowing in a pout, making her look even more adorable. "Oh, sorry." He grinned again. "Its just most of the girls in my guild wear masks too, it's kind of shocking when their taken off." He admitted, the girl fingering the dull brown hair sullenly.

"I used to look like my mother..." Her expression was crest fallen, her eyes brimming with tears as she gave her nose a sniff so it wouldn't run. "I don't know who I look like, I was raised by a dragon." The girl gaped at him. "What?! But didn't you say he was your father?!"

"He is, igneel took me in when I was little." She gave a sigh, a small smile on her lips, the girl wiping the moisture from her eyes with a giggle. "Your crazy."

"Your weird."

"Hey-!" Thunder crashed through the sky, shaking the room around them as the lights shut off, leaving it dark. "Ah!" The girl yelped, natsu hearing the announcement outside from the broadcast system. "This is an announcement from the town center, please make way back to your designated residence till the electricity is running again, schedules will be altered for this change. This is an announcement..."

Natsu grimaced. That meant soldiers would come soon for check ups. His schedule was off, he was supposed to be home, showing the red light on his collar while the girls remained green. "Um...John, you should leave before you get caught-"

"It's natsu."

She was startled, unfamiliar with a man calling themselves a name besides John. "What?"

"My name is Natsu, Natsu Dragneel, and I'm the salamander of fairy tail." There was pride in his expression and voice, his eyes fierce and fed up, making the girl tremble. "I'm Lucy Heartfilia." She said without a thought, jumping as she realized she had said that without thinking. "Nice to meet you. And this little cat is happy." She watched in amazement as the cat gave a wave against its assigned weight, Lucy smiling. "Nice to meet you happy." Lucy giggled, the cat smiling to her disbelief.

"Happy is a cat called and exceed, they can fly and talk, but they've restricted it after paying them a ton so they wouldn't kill him instead." Natsu hugged to cat, his hands trembling from what Lucy could see, his head slumped. "It's not fair, cats don't even get jealous...dammit!" He jumped to Lucy's hand resting on his shoulder, giving it a squeeze. "It's gonna be okay." She told him, smiling softly. She took the keys from her pocket and held them in her hands, cradling them against her chest. "You know what gate keys do right? They connect to the spirit world, each connecting to a certain spirit to aid you in combat, but their more than that, their my friends, but I can't even see them anymore, now that my magic is sealed."

After a small silence Natsu took the keys from her hand, looking at them. "Nice to meet you Lucy's friends." He greeted with a smile, making Lucy smile too. "I'm sure they're glad to meet you too." Another struck of lighting made Natsu drop the keys with a jolt, a bright golden glow shining so bright it hurt his eyes. "What the-?!" Just as fast as it came the light went, the keys sitting on his lap, one of the weight bands that had been strapped to his leg lying limp on the floor, the two staring in disbelief. "Did... Your keys just...?"

"Try it again!" She gasped, taking the keys, putting a gold key against her blender, the gold glow blinding him once again till it faded, seeming to leave her hair gold as it went away, the color striking. She fingered the once hidden color, laughing out in astonishment.

"My zodiac keys! They can break the seals!" Natsu took them and pressed it to happy's seals, breaking them all almost immediately, the cat flying around the two, a blue streak at his speed. "Natsu!" He yelled out, flying into natsu's arms, the two laughing, Lucy smiling at them. A pounding on the door interrupted their happyness, a voice yelling from behind it. "Gnath military, open up!" Lucy's breath started to hitch in fear, natsu and her jumping to their feet. "W-what are we gonna do?"

"I'm gonna kick their asses!"

"Natsu!"

"Wait you still have your seals, you can't do a thing against their weapons!" Another pound at the door, Lucy gripping onto his arm, pulling him back. "I've got an idea all right? I need you to answer the door, stay calm, and act stupid! Pretend your on a buzzer or something! Come on happy!" She grabbed the cat by the tail and pulled him back into the bathroom with her, Natsu taking a breath and going to the door. He opened it, looking at two soldiers wearing thick black armor, their faces masked.

"We're here to check your schedules. " they told him, natsu not knowing how to respond, the red light on his collar must have been the most obvious thing. "...what's wrong with you?" They asked when he didn't respond, opening his mouth to say something, unsure of what to do. Act like levy, act like you have a buzzer. "...right..." He responded, the words coming out in a mumble. "Hon'? Is something wrong?" He heard Lucy ask, walking to him as he turned in shock. No! They'll see your hair! But it was covered, wrapped in a towel as if she'd taken a shower, wearing a bathrobe as well, a fuzzy white one.

But what almost made his mouth fall slack was the bulging belly she wore under the robe, making it look as if she were pregnant. "Oh, hello." She greeted the soldiers with a smile, wrapping her arm under natsu's. "shouldn't you be wearing a mask?"

"Oh! Right, silly me!" She gave a laugh, obviously acting like an airhead as she picked it up from the ground, tying it back on and returning to natsu's side. "We need to check your schedules." They repeated, grabbing Lucy's arm roughly and jerking forward, the girl grabbing her stomach so the pillow wouldn't fall out, she had hoped that the soldiers thinking she was pregnate would make them less rough like their usual attitude, and not take them to state prison instead of local, which had better accommodations.

If they found out that is. Natsu tried to hold himself back from caving the guys heads in as they jerked up Lucy's chin, putting a devise against her collar that beeped, displaying the squedule on the screen. "Heh, like all women, you stay home most of the time don't ya?" The other guard chuckled, looking at the schedule as well.

"Heh, you know, we could readjust your squedule if you want, but of course you'd have to give us something in return." They laughed, one tugging at the neckline of her robe. Natsu's hand jutted out and grabbed the soldiers armor covered wrist, squeezing it tightly. The two looked at him, obviously surprised someone on a buzzer could support themselves with some common sense, Lucy giving him a frightened worried look. "...don't touch... Her..." It sounded like he was struggling to form words, but it was really because he was struggling contain his disgust and fury towards these fools. "Hey, his collar is red!"

"Are you realy on a buzzer?"

Lucy intervened, stepping in between them and natsu. "I-I told him to stay home! I didn't want him going out in a storm like this. Please make an exception." She begged, natsu hating that Lucy was the one to protect him. "Lets do a test." The soldier reached for a devise on his belt, coming towards natsu. Lucy grabbed his hand in a panic. "What is that?"

"It's a magic surge that'll be blocked by the buzzer to see it it's there, out of my way." The other soldier grabbed her and pulled her back, the devise pressing into natsu's neck under his collar, the man pressing a button. Nothing happened, natsu staring at the soldier calmly. Lucy was confused, wondering what had gone wrong. "Huh. What ever, he broke schedule, take him away." He shoved natsu towards the door, Lucy rushing forward.

"No!" She grabbed at the soldiers arm, thrown back by a fist in the face, crushing her mask, the girl landing on the floor with the towel on her hair unraveling, showing its glimmering gold color. "What the-?!" Natsu's knuckles stopped the soldiers words, fed up with these dirt bags and now that the secret was out, no one was stopping him from kicking their asses. "Natsu! No!" Lucy yelled, happy coming out from his hiding place with Lucy's keys, tossing them to the man before the second soldier could fire his weapon, unlocking the seals on his ankles, wrists and across his torso. once the last one was off, fire burst from his body like an explosions, shattering the windows and blowing back the soldiers.

It felt amazing to have his power unleashed, to finally over power someone and protect what he loved for once, when he's felt so useless for years. He was never going back. He turned down the heat, the men distracted by smothering the fire sticking to their clothes in a panic, natsu bundling up lucy in his arms, covering her with the dull blanket that had covered her former comforter to hide her hair, jumping out of the window.

They hit the ground with a stumble, natsus weights pullin him down, plus the fact that Lucy's own weights made her feel like a ton, but if he told her that he'd get a kick in the face he was sure. He sprinted through the icy cold rain, so thick it was almost too hard to see in front of him. But he had to keep moving, he had to. Through the pain he had to keep moving.

He listened for soldiers behind him, but they were far off, but only a matter of time before they caught up. It was a good thing those blenders erased guild marks, otherwise they would've known where they had gone. Natsu finnaly reached fairy tail, gasping for breath with his body soar, pulsating with hot pain for some reason, his throat squeezing , making it difficult to breath. With the doors just in sight, his knees buckled, trying his best not to let Lucy fall hard from the fall, the girl giving a gasp as they fell in the rain.

"Natsu!" Happy yelled, landing beside his friends shoulder, giving it a nudge desperately, tears in his eyes. "Nastu! Natsu! Can you hear me?! Hang in there!" Lucy's breath started to accelerate in fear. It was the power surge the soldiers hit him with, those things can be fatal.

"Don't worry natsu! You save me, I'll save you okay?" She managed to lift the heavy man against her weights throwing his arm over her shoulder, dragging him to the guild with shaking legs, grunting at the strain. "Help..!" She gasped as she neared the doors, happy rushing forward and opening them for her, exposing a dark empty guild. "Help..."

"Mira! Erza! Hello! It's an emergency! Wake up!" The cat called, not really caring to call them "jane" and flew to the back of the guild that looked like a bar, chairs upside down on tables for cleaning floors, lightning flashes making the dark atmosphere almost eerie. This place didn't look like it should be empty. Lucy fell on her knees at the front door, lying natsu on the floor the most carefully she could, using the blanket around her as a pillow for his head. "...Thank...you..." He breathed Lucy jumping to his ragged voice, sounding as if he gurgled gravel, the spot where they shot him in the throat turning purple and black, spreading fast.

"Please don't speak! We're at fairy tail okay? We'll get you help, don't worry." She assured him, her hand soothing back his damp brown hair, sweat replacing the water as moisture on his skin collected, glowing with the street lights that were shown a bit through rain out the open door. His face was pail and sick looking. His hand reached out, playing with a strand of her golden hair that hung in a damp curl, dripping water on the wooden floors with the faintest thump, natsu giving a weak smile.

"You kind of look like an angel right now..." The sentence ran off with a cough, turning into a choking sound as he gasped for breath, hacking out blood that splattered on the sheet he used for a pillow. "Natsu!" She cried tears streaming down her face, grabbing the man in her arms , hugging him tightly to her as his head resting on her shoulder as he continued to choke. "Please don't die! Your my friend! Please don't die!"

"Haha..." He muttered, hugging her back, finding her warmth under the fuzzy bathrobe more than comforting. "We're partners in crime now too, ... new friend...make sure they don't...catch you-" he started choking again, his fingers digging deep in the fabric of her robe against the pain, bleeding out from the inside as blood continued to pour from his mouth, shaking in tremors. "Natsu!" Lucy gasped, hearing some one say the name with her as the light turned on, two women a girl and a man rushing forward, all of them masked, in sleeping clothes assigned to them by Gnath. "What happened?!"

"God! What's with all the blood?!

"Natsu!" One of the women with brown strait hair took the man from Lucy, leaning him against the wall by the door so he wouldn't choke on his own blood. "He... He was shot with a power surge in the neck...I don't know what to do... Theirs so much blood..." Lucy was panicking as she looked down at her crimson stained hands, the pooling red turning blurry as she cried. "We can't do anything at this rate! We need to take him to the hospital."

"Shit, we can't! Where the hell are his seals?! He'd get shot if we lugged him in like this!"

"We have no time for this! If we don't do something he'll die gray!"

"Well it's not like Wendy can help now! She's sealed remember!?" Lucy looked at the girl he gestured to, the small masked girl crying behind her mask, the image ironic as the mask smiled on the subject, while the voices and tears showed pain. "Can you help him?!" She demanded to the small girl, grabbing her hand in a plead. "N-not anymore... I have seals..."

She whimpered, but Lucy jerked her forward, ripping off her mask and grabbing her keys. The others stared in amazement as Lucy broke the seals with her keys, a rushing wind swarming around the girl as the last of the three seals broke. "What-"

"No questions! Please help him!" She begged, and the girls grey filmed eyes widened, but she gave a small nod of determination. "Right! Excuse me..." She mumbled as she took Erza's place, lying natsu down, blue orbs glowing on her hands as she tried to heal natsu, aiming towards his throat. "Theirs so much blood collected in his lungs, it's hard to see the main source..."

"I'll get juvia!" The man called gray announced, patting Wendy's shoulder in encouragement, rushing towards the back of the guild. Lucy grasped natsu's hand tightly, leaning her forehead agains his warm fingers, whispering somewhat of a prayer, not wanting the man who saved her to die.

Her friend, partner. "Excuse me." She turned to the strait haired woman, kind of useless to identify her by other features because everyone looked the same. "Please... Remove my restraints." She held out her arms to Lucy, wrapped with seals and weights, the amount almost uncomprahendable. "O-ofcourse..." She took her keys and removed the restraints one by one, meanwhile, the woman gray went for came forward, Lucy taking off her seals before continuing with erza so she could use the water in natsu's blood to clear the clutter the girl healing him couldn't heal through.

Once the last restraint on the woman was gone, she removed her mask with a smiling sigh, her beauty striking, almost insulting to the woman for Lucy to wear a mask along with her, as if they looked the same. Her hair was a gorgeous lush red like the blood staining Lucy's hands, her eyes a deep brown, so wise and stern, but had a gentle, older sisterly feeling. Her features were pristine, and strong like a statue of Athena blown with life.

"Im Ezra Scarlett, i deeply thank you, I am forever in your debt. Especially taking care of natsu, thank you so much." The woman bowed on her knees to where her forehead almost touched the floor, Lucy waving her hands and shaking her hands in dismissal. "No! No please don't thank me, he's the one who saved me countless times!"

She said with a smile, the woman sitting up, Wendy taking the keys so she could get rid of Natsu's weights and blenders, Erza's brow raising as she looked at Lucy fully. "Um, you don't have any injuries yourself do you?"

"Just a bruise on my cheek, but it's fine, don't worry."

"Oh... I was just wondering because of your, condition." Huh? Did her cheek really look that bad? "Don't worry, I'm fine. I'm more worried about Natsu though..." She looked back at him, Juvia and the small girl working over him, Lucy sliding her hand into his limp one, lacing their fingers together. His warmth was assuring. "What kind of relations ship do you have with him...?"

"Huh? Oh, I guess were partners and friends, or so he tells me." She giggled, the red head shocked as she stared at the blonde.

"And Is...that...his?" Lucy followed her eyes to what looked like one of his broken weights in her pocket, she must have shoved it there without thinking when the soldiers came. "Well, yes, I haven't been with any other man any how." Erza's face turned crimson, her mouth agape. What was so shocking? "H-how long have you known each other?!"

"We'll I just got in town and natsu came cause he said he wanted to see-"

"Natsu's awake!" Wendy yelled, jerking Lucy's attention from the blushing red head as she went to him, brushing his pink hair out of his face. "Natsu? Natsu, can you hear me?" He gave a moan, his eyes blinking with a beautiful forest green that glowed brighter in the light, his hair now a rosy pink, it's original color that strangely looked masculine on the man, his skin no longer pale. "Hey Luce," he said, his features turning more alive, smiling brightly. "How you doin? Your not hurt right?"

"No I'm not." She laughed, drying the tears from her eyes, so relieved. "I'm glad your okay." She admitted and gave him a hug, she had felt guilty for all this, but she was just glad he was safe. "Oh come on no one can kill me that easily. Thanks Wendy, Juvia." He thanked and the two smiled at them, Natsu removing their masks for them once Lucy moved put of the way, smiling at their beautiful faces. They always should be shown off.

"Can I see those keys?" The man in the mask asked, the one with black hair and Lucy handed them over, the man removing the seals, weights and blenders, the room turning cold with a blast of wind as his power unleashed, the man crushing the mask in his hand, snapping the collar off with a laugh. "This is awesome! We can fight back now!"

"Wait gray. We need to think this through." Erza told him, standing to get everyone's attention. "Since we have already taken off our seals, we need to go into hiding."

"But we can beat Gnath now that our power is-"

"Look at what happened to you Natsu! Their weapons are too strong! You can't abandon your family to fulfill selfish desires!" She yelled, motioning towards Lucy. Was she apart of the family now..? She felt like someone who just got Natsu in trouble. But why did she only motion to Lucy..? "Wait! Natsu, who's this?!" Gray demanded, at first thinking she was just someone who dragged natsu here till he noticed it. "Huh? Lucy? She's my partner now, can she join fairy tail?"

"Lucy said they've met before and she moved here to be with him." Erza added, Lucy raising a brow. "Where'd you get that?"

"Is that not the issue?"

" I think we need to discuss when the hell you got a girl pregnant Natsu!" Gray yelled, pointing to the bewildered Lucy, the girl turning pale in realization, looking down. The pillow was still under her bath robe, making her look pregnant, and based on the conversation they all thought it was Natsu's child. "N-NO! Th- That's not it! It's a pillow I swear!" She pulled out the round couch pillow from under the robe and everyone stared in alarm. "I did it to fool the soldiers! I totally forgot it was there!" She gasped with a flushed face, everyone staring in utter shock till...

They all suddenly broke out in laughter, natsu hanging his arms over Lucy's shoulder, chuckling. "Lucy your weird!" He laughed, the girl blushing and hanging her head in defeat. "Baka..."


End file.
